Beggar Lice HELP!!!!

[clarkshomestead]

I just got permission from a friend of mine to use 1 acre out back of my house to put my rabbits and various other projects on and grow a garden for next year. Problem is the acre itself and the surrounding 10 are overgrown with beggar lice and have been for years. How will I ever clear a spot without "Agent Orange" or a fire that could consume the Devil himself?

[gardenfay]

I'm not gonna say this will solve the problem; but it might help. years ago, i knew people outside OKC that had a yard that had been infested with sandburs for years.
They were told to drag an old blanket behind their lawn tractor. they got rid of many of the burs this way.
i think a similar idea might work for beggars lice, since they stick to fabric.
They attached a fuzzy blanket (think thrift store) to the back of the lawn tractor and i think they laid bricks or stones on it to insure more contact with the plants.
before i even did this though, i would see if there are intact plants; that could be pulled seeds and all and put in trash bags? thats what i did on part of our property that was dubbed Thistle Hill for good reason
i sure hope others have many helpful ideas

[Deberosa]

What about turning chickens loose on it for a season? They seem to scratch up and destroy just about anything...

[homesteadingnky]

Copied from a google search. *I was curious ok. *:-/

BEGGAR-LICE
aka Beggar's lice
LUGUMINOSAE
(Desmodium styracifolium)
Image
A vine whose name is derived from the Greek word meaning 'a chain' in reference to the jointed seed pods which contain small loose fruits which cling to clothing.

PART USED: Whole plant

RELATED SPECIES:
D. pulchellum: In Chinese medicine, the whole plant is used to treat rheumatic fever, infant confulsions, toothache, to dissolve internal blood clots, and to aid digestion.
D. triflorum: Whole plant has been used to treat dysentary.
D. triquetrum: Whole plant has been used to expel intestinal worms, to treat spasms in infants, for indigestion, for piles and abcesses.

MEDICINAL USES:
Has been used in Chinese medicine for treating kidney stones and colic.
Japanese researchers have discovered a compound in the plant which decreases the amount of calcium and increases the amount of citrate excreted in urine which decreases the likelihood of forming kidney stones.


Maybe you could just market the begger lice. *LOL! *Sorry, probaly no help but if you could collect seeds you might make some money. *They use it as quail food and sow it to provide a good food plot for the quail. *Beggar's lice will cost around $100 per pound or $300 per acre (3 lbs/acre seeding rate). *http://seqsg.qu.org/seqsg/newsletter4.cfm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just thought I'd share what I found.

Homesteading Dad

[clarkshomestead]

Hey thanks a million for the replies! I'll take a tractor and drag a huge blanket over the whole freakin field and sell the harvest. Then I'll let chickens clean up the rest. Not realy but i think I realy might check into the selling of the seeds. All are helpfull suggestions and I appriciate them. I will probaly use some chickens too. I like the Idea of the blanket that is a problem solvers solution and a very god idea for the burrs but I'm afraid the beggar lice seeds are too small and flat for it to be effective, but I'm glad I have that to add to my knowledge now.
The species we have is D. triflorum. We have planty of quail. I just need to think of an effective way to harvest it. It would take forever to harvest a pound of the little fellas by picking them off a blanket. SO ALL YOU THINKERS AND PROBLEMSOLVERS, HELP A BROTHER OUT! Thanks again guys!

[clarkshomestead]

sorry I was mistaken the species we have is Desmodium Obtusum.

[homesteadingnky]

I got it! *;D *You could start raising bird dogs. *Take the puppies when they're old enough to sell and let them run through the fields and get the seeds all over them, then sell the dog and the seeds to a hunter who wants to establish a quail habitat in his area. *;) *That would give hin the biggest BANG for his buck. *Get it? *BANG for his buck. *;D ... hunter ... BANG .... Anyway, Just kidding! *But hey if I come up with the winning idea to I get a commission on your sells? *LOL! *

Homesteading Dad

[gardenfay]

:D good one